Human Soul, Pokemon Heart
by Moonlit Feathers
Summary: Since the downfall of Teams Aqua and Magma, Team Rocket has extended its operations into Hoenn as well. Rocket is known for its horrible experiments on Pokemon, but have they moved on to people too? And what can one brandnew Pokemon trainer do about it?
1. Chapter 1

_Human Soul, Pokémon Heart_ 

Chapter 1: Not the Way I Planned It

 An alarm clock rang in that bright, chirpy, irritating way alarm clocks have. Alarm clocks are rather like grocery store clerks; it is part of their job description to be excessively cheerful at all times. If this particular alarm clock were to be endowed with human feelings, it would have been observed to cringe, as if it was expecting at any moment to be violently turned off, stuffed under a pillow or maybe even tossed across the room. It appeared to wait tensely for a moment. After an uneventful pause, during which it stopped ringing, it cold be said to open an eye cautiously, as if confused by the lack of instant suffering.

Were this clock actually alive, it would have seen the room's inhabitant, usually the one who inflicted the aforementioned indignities upon it in a zombified morning grump, jump eagerly out of bed with a shout and proceed to get dressed with uncommon alacrity, not bothering to turn of alarm off.

This was Merenwen Anwarunya, and today she would be getting her first Pokémon.

-.-.-.-.-

"Bye Mom!" Merenwen called, preparing to dash out the door.

"_Wait, Merenwen!_"

Merenwen froze mid-step and sighed inwardly.

Merenwen's mother came scuttling up behind her. "Are you sure you've got everything you need, dear?" She fretted.

"Yes, Mom," Merenwen did her best not to sigh. She knew her mom was just worried, but they'd been over this dozens of times. It had been difficult enough to convince her mother to allow her to leave at all; she thought ten years old was much too young to be leaving home, but Merenwen had protested and begged and finally brought in Professor Birch to testify that most trainers begin at ten. Merenwen was allowed to go, but that was just the start of her mother's worrying.

That was two months ago. Between her mother's fussing and Professor Birch's advice, Merenwen was sure she had everything she needed. She tried to tell her mom this. "I'm ready Mom, really. I've been preparing for weeks." Longer, really.

"Alright. Are you sure you don't want me to walk you there?" She tucked a loose piece of brilliantly red hair back behind her ear. She kept it short, but it still managed to escape when she was worried. Which tended to be often.

_Walk me there?!_ Merenwen thought. "Um, that's okay, since we live in the same town as Professor Birch's lab I think I can make it. I go there all the time." she declined her mother's offer politely.

"Well all right, if you're sure..." her mom stressed. "I'm just sorry your dad's away on business right now."

"It's okay. I said goodbye to him before her left. Bye!" Merenwen adjusted her backpack as she stepped out the door. She was finally on her way! -.-.-.-.-

Merenwen hummed as she headed across town. Finally, her first Pokémon! Little Root Town was really small, so she would be the only new trainer getting a Pokémon today. But that was okay with her; it meant she wouldn't have to worry about getting there first or fighting for the same starter as another trainer. She already knew which one she was going to get. It was such a perfect day to start a new life, too! Merenwen shielded her eyes to look at the sky. Such a pretty blue. She watched a flock of Taillow winging their way across the sky. Hmmm...maybe she would catch a Taillow. She stood for a moment, watching the swift bird Pokémon. One of those would be useful, she reasoned. She grinned, thinking about all the Pokémon she could catch, and was about to start on her way again when the Taillow flock she had been watching suddenly broke up in confusion. They scattered frantically, and soon were nothing more than vanishing dark blue dots in the bright sky. Merenwen frowned, wondering what could have caused that. And then she heard a helicopter.

She spun around, and there it was, a large gray helicopter making its way slowly across the sky. Merenwen wasn't the only one to stop and stare. Something so sophisticated anywhere near this small town was a sight to see, although Merenwen didn't think it looked like much. It was so clunky-looking, an ugly steel gray with a fancy red letter "R" painted on the side. Merenwen wondered what company it stood for. And then she wondered what was wrong with the helicopter.

There were few people out, but they too had stopped and were staring at the unusual sight. The aircraft was clearly listing to the side, and one of its rear blades did not appear to be spinning. Merenwen was just wondering if it was going to crash when, to her and everyone else's immense surprise, a hatch at the back of the helicopter swung open and something fell out! Merenwen gasped and, almost without thinking, started running for the place where the object was headed. The closer she got, the more she could see it was some kind of box...with a grill in the front...some kind of cage? As it neared the ground she realized how fast it was going and almost stopped. But if someone didn't catch it, it would probably break apart when it hit! And who knew what was in it? As Merenwen dithered, wondering if it would be safe to try and catch it, the box hit the corner of a rooftop and came bouncing off, clanging against a lamppost and bouncing off of a storefront canopy before finally heading to ground. Merenwen made her choice and dived forward to catch it at the last second. "Oof!" she gasped as the box hit her in the stomach, but she managed not to drop it. As she slid across the ground from her dive, she winced and regretted her decision to wear shorts that day.

"_Ow_..." she muttered, climbing slowly to her feet. She looked down at the mysterious box, then back up, looking for the helicopter. It was already past the town, moving farther away into the blue, like the Taillow. Merenwen could dimly see the open hatch still swinging, and worriedly thought that whatever this was must have fallen out by accident. She looked at the box again, hoping that Professor Birch would know what the "R" stood for and how to deliver this back to the people to whom it belonged. She started for his lab again, examining the box. It seemed to be made out of some type of hardened plastic, and it did indeed have a metal grill covering one side. There was a lock on the grill, she noticed. It definitely seemed like some kind of cage. Feeling she was starting to worry as much as her mother, Merenwen thought about how far the cage had fallen and suddenly wondered quite desperately about the creature inside. It was light, so maybe it was empty, but...Merenwen turned the locked side to face her. There did seem to be something in there...a faint groan sounded from the cage, nearly causing Merenwen to drop it in shock. Quickly, but as gently as possible, she turned the opening to face the light. And gasped at what was inside.


	2. Chapter 2

I seem to have neglected an intro to the first chapter. The rush of creating a new story! What does the summary mean by "have they moved on to people?" You'll just have to wait and see! -evil grin-

Disclaimer: I own one of every three games for Gameboy and DS (ex. Yellow, Crystal), but I do not own Pokemon itself. However, I do own the character Merenwen and other random OCs such as her mother.

* * *

Chapter 2: Who Would do That to an Innocent Pokémon?

"Is it going to be okay?" Merenwen asked finally, as Professor Birch left the Eevee where it lay sleeping. Only a few minutes ago she had rushed into the lab, trying to quickly explain about the helicopter and give the Eevee to Professor Birch. The poor, battered Pokémon was so frightened that it refused to come out of its cage, but before Merenwen could do more than assure it soothingly that they only wanted to help it, it had passed out. Professor Birch and his assistants instantly got it out and began healing its wounds. Now it lay on a table, bandaged and sleeping somewhat fitfully.

"Yes, the Eevee will be fine," Professor Birch assured her. "Now, please tell me one more time. This helicopter had the letter "R" on the side?" Merenwen had relayed the unusual story to the professor while he worked on the Eevee.

"Yes. Do you know who they were, Professor?" Merenwen asked. "I'd like to return the Eevee to them, if I can."

"I don't think you want to do that," Professor Birch frowned. "I'll have to check with Professor Oak on this, but I'm pretty sure that that "R" stood for Team Rocket, a gang of crooks operating in Kanto. I don't know what they think they're doing here in Hoenn, but it's bound to be bad news. And whatever they wanted this Eevee for probably wasn't good either." Professor Birch turned on his com-link and called Professor Oak while Merenwen absorbed this. The gray-haired Kanto professor's face appeared on screen.

"Good morning, Birch. To what do I owe the honor?"

"Nothing good, I'm afraid," the paunchy professor sighed. "Tell me, Professor Oak, do you know what the Team Rocket symbol looks like?"

"A fancy capital letter R. Why, have you been having trouble with them too?"

"Too? What do you mean too?" Birch asked, surprised. Merenwen listened attentively.

"They've been unusually active lately. I gather from Professor Elm that they've been appearing in Johto also. There's no word from Sinnoh, but it seems only a matter of time," the poetic professor looked grave as he imparted this news.

"Oh my, that is a problem," Birch said worriedly.

"If you get wind of their activities, do let me know."

"Of course," Birch replied as his colleague closed the link.

"So this Eevee was being experimented on by criminals?" Merenwen asked indignantly. Who would do something like that to an innocent Pokémon?

"I'm afraid so," Professor Birch said sadly. They both turned to look at the sleeping Eevee.

An idea occurred to Merenwen, one she had been secretly thinking about since she found the Eevee in the cage. "Professor Birch," she spoke up excitedly, "does this mean I can keep the Eevee? I mean, I did sort of find it, and there's no way we're giving it back to Team Rocket, right?"

"No, we certainly are not," the professor agreed. He continued to stare at the Pokémon, seeming to consider something. Finally he said, "I suppose there's no harm in letting you have it, but I'd like to keep it here for observation for a few days. Team Rocket may have done something to it."

"Okay," Merenwen agreed easily. Eevee would have to rest anyway, and it would be best for Professor Birch to make sure there was nothing wrong with it. Merenwen couldn't imagine what sort of horrible things criminals would do to a Pokémon, but she figured it wouldn't be nice. She hoped the Eevee was all right, not just because she wanted it but also because she didn't like to think of such an adorable Pokémon suffering.

Then she realized something. "Uh oh!" she exclaimed, causing Birch to look around. "If Eevee has to stay here, then I have to stay here too! I'd better go tell my mom. See you later professor! I'll come back to check on Eevee!" she shouted these last fews words as she dashed outside. What would her mom say to find her still at home?

As it turned out, her mom was surprised, but happy, to have her back. She listened with interest to her daughter's story of the helicopter, the Pokémon and the evil Team Rocket, and sympathized with Merenwen's hope that the Eevee would be okay. Then she set about fixing dinner as usual. "I certainly don't mind having to wait a while before my baby leaves me!" she fake-sniffed. Merenwen rolled her eyes, but was glad that her mom was so understanding. While her mom made dinner, Merenwen called her dad's travel phone and left an explanatory message. Then she headed to her room to do research on Team Rocket.

Her room had not changed. The walls were her favorite shade of deep blue, which her dad always joked clashed horribly with her bright red hair. All of her posters and drawings still adorned the walls, and her chair was tucked neatly under her desk. The bed was a lot better made than usual, and if one opened the drawers it would be immediately noticed that all Merenwen's clothes were gone, but altogether the room still felt like home. Since Merenwen was an only child and their house already came with an extra room, her mother and father had decided to leave her room the same. After all, said her mother, she would come back to visit sometimes; her father added that the drawings were much too pretty to be put in storage. Merenwen had always enjoyed drawing, and her walls were covered with depictions of Pokémon and far-away, mystical places. She was going to miss those drawings, but she had a brand-new sketchbook, a going-away present from her mom. As Merenwen sat down to turn on the computer, she thought about how she would miss it too, but Professor Birch had told her that her Pokédex and Pokénav would give her all the information she would need on her journey. Still, she would have liked to have brought a laptop or something, but she admitted that it would be far too cumbersome. She would have to make do with Pokémon Center resources if necessary, she supposed.

Despite being willing to wait for the Eevee, Merenwen was still impatient to start her journey. She had been looking forward to it for so long! As she typed in her search, she thought of possible names for the Eevee. She knew not everyone named their Pokémon, but she wanted to give hers individuality. And then she looked at the search results, and all thoughts of Pokémon names and computers flew out of her head.

There was an incredible number of results for Team Rocket! News articles from every sort of newspaper and magazine imaginable displayed Team Rocket's many crimes, with pictures of masked people stealing Pokémon and a few shots of abandoned labs. Team Rocket seemed to have been menacing the Kanto region for several years, and now, after the downfall of Teams Aqua and Magma in Hoenn (Merenwen dimly remembered news items about those two from her youth), they seemed to be moving on to this region as well. One editorial voiced the opinion that while Team Galactic still ruled in Sinnoh, Johto was fairly open to exploitation by both teams, and it was only a matter of time before Team Rocket became truly universal. Merenwen was horrified at some of the things Team Rocket was accused of doing; myriad schemes to kidnap important scientists and businessmen to take over the world, experiments to make Pokémon stronger through technology...all sorts of ruthless, megalomaniacal things. Merenwen shook her head and was glad that that Eevee had fallen out when it did; it could have been seriously injured or mutated had Team Rocket had their way. There were heartbreaking pictures of dead or deformed Pokémon left behind in abandoned laboratories. Merenwen thought how lucky the Eevee was to have escaped that fate, but wondered just how much Team Rocket had gotten the chance to do to it. It might have some condition that would cause it to meet a similar end anyway.

Merenwen shook her head. She refused to believe that the Eevee was hurt in any way. It would be fine. Professor Birch would take care of it, she assured herself. She was starting to worry as much as her mom!

"Merenwen! Dinner!" Speaking of whom...

"Coming!" she called back. Merenwen shut down her computer and went downstairs, thinking dark thoughts about Team Rocket. _This_ Eevee may be fine, but what Team Rocket got up to was unforgivable. If Merenwen ever met one of them, she vowed, they would be in trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

There's commentary on some information in this chapter at the end (I don't want to give anything away here) so look at it when you're done reading. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 3: What's in a Name?

"Hi Professor Birch! Hi Eevee!" Merenwen called as she entered the lab.

"Oh hello - " the professor started. Merenwen rushed right by him, heading straight for the Eevee's bed. "...Merenwen." Professor Birch smiled and shook his head. Ever since that Pokémon had recovered enough to listen and respond to speech, Merenwen had spent hours every day talking to it. She told it about herself, her planned journey and all the things she had heard and read about the wide world of Pokémon out there. The Eevee, for its part, had listened attentively and seemed excited about the idea of travel and adventure. Professor Birch was carefully monitoring its reactions and found this liveliness to be a very promising sign.

"Hey! How are you feeling today?" Merenwen smiled as she leaned on the table where the Eevee was recovering. It immediately stood up and barked excitedly. Once it had gotten over its shock, the Pokémon proved to be very friendly. Merenwen and Eevee were getting along very well, and the Pokémon trainer took this as a hopeful indication that Eevee would want to go with her on her journey. She hadn't yet mentioned that she wanted Eevee to come, because Professor Birch continued to be cautious about the Pokémon's chances of being travel-capable. But when Merenwen casually mentioned the professor's concerns to Eevee, it had responded emphatically that it was fine. At least, that was what it seemed to be saying, and in Professor Birch's opinion, Merenwen and Eevee communicated very well with each other.

One thing all their talking had not yet solved, however, was Eevee's name. Professor Birch had already informed Merenwen that except for a select few species, it was impossible to determine a Pokémon's gender. Merenwen had no idea what she wanted Eevee to evolve into, further complicating the matter. She had tried asking Eevee what it would like to be called, but it just tilted its head to one side and said, "Vee?" quizzically. Obviously, it did not speak human, and so could not suggest a name.

Today, though, Merenwen had a new idea. "Guess what I brought?" the trainer asked, sliding off her backpack. Eevee nosed at it curiously while she opened it and pulled out...a giant book of baby names! "See? With this I can give you suggestions and you can tell me if you like how they sound!"

"Vee!" Eevee nodded enthusiastically.

Merenwen pulled up a chair and opened the book. "First things first," she looked at the little fox Pokémon leaning over the table to see the book. "I don't know whether you're a boy or a girl. So you'll have to tell me. Do you know if you're a boy or a girl?" Merenwen reflected on the bizarreness of that question, but if people couldn't tell, the only way would be to ask the Pokemon itself.

Eevee merely tilted its head in that quizzical way.

Merenwen tried to elaborate. "Are you a girl," she pointed at herself, "or a boy?" she pointed at Professor Birch, doing paperwork nearby. Eevee looked between the two, seeming unsure what Merenwen was asking. The trainer bit her lip. Sometimes it could be so difficult trying to convey ideas between humans and Pokémon. She shook her head. "Never mind," she looked at the book, "I'll just look for names that could be either male or female."

And so she did. For the next half-hour, Merenwen ran down the alphabet from "Alex" to "Zephyr" and through all non-gender-specific names in between. Every time Eevee wrinkled its little nose in disgust, or shook its head, or sometimes paused before shrugging but still looking skeptical. Merenwen took the shrugs as a "maybe," but decided that if one was choosing their name, they should be enthusiastic about it.

Finally, she reached the end of the list. "Well, Eevee, I'm afraid that's all of them," she closed the book, smiling apologetically at her friend. Eevee whined and hung its head, seeming to apologize for shooting down all of Merenwen's ideas. "It's fine," the trainer petted Eevee, causing the fox's tail to twitch happily. "I could always come up with a non-human name, like Flash or Spot." Merenwen had, in fact, been trying to think of such a name since she first decided to train Eevee, but had been unsuccessful. But she was _determined_ to think of something!

Merenwen turned to the Pokémon Professor. "Professor Birch, what do you think I should name Eevee?"

The professor looked up from his paperwork. "Well, I'm afraid I'm really no good at that sort of thing," he scratched his head. "You see, as a researcher of Pokémon I usually refer to them by their scientific name and don't bother about nicknames. Sorry."

"That's okay," Merenwen turned back to Eevee, but the professor added, "You know who you might ask? Your mother! I'm sure she had the same sort of difficulty choosing your name."

"That's a great idea!" Merenwen jumped up, making Eevee bark in surprise. "I'll go ask her right now! Eevee, I'll see you later!" Merenwen dashed for the door, but Professor Birch stopped her with one more comment. "By the way, Merenwen, I've finished my evaluation of Eevee. If you want, you can take it with you and begin your journey tomorrow."

Sound waves travel at thousands of feet per second. The human brain can process outside stimuli in millionths of a second. Human reaction time is usually measured in hundredths of a second. But it was a full five seconds before Merenwen screamed "YES!", jumped in the air and ran over to hug Eevee, squealing with joy.

-.-.-.-.-

"Baby names? Oh, I remember when you were just a baby! Your father wanted to name you after his mother and I wanted to name you after mine, and I told him, 'dear, I would love to name her after your mother but I don't think she would like to go through life being called "vicious old cow,"' and he said 'what, you think she would prefer "domineering hag?"' and I said - "

"MOM!" Merenwen shouted. When her mom got like this, she could go on for hours. Merenwen knew; she had timed her.

"Oh, sorry, sweetie," her mom sweatdropped. "Um, you needed a name for your Eevee? Have you looked in the big book of baby names I have?"

"Yes, but since I don't know if Eevee's a boy or a girl, it makes it more difficult. How did you and Dad choose my name in the end? It's not in that book, and it isn't either of your mom's names." Honestly, she had been wondering about this for a long time. "Merenwen" was such an unusual name.

"Aaah," her mom's eyes misted over. "Your name is very special. It comes from a foreign language. It's actually the old native language of the country I come from," she smiled at Merenwen, who was looking awestruck. "It was either that or you'd have to have his mother's name and I absolutely can't _stand_ that woman - "

"Mom! Focus!" Merenwen was hyped. An ancient, foreign language? Unbelievably cool! "How did you know this language? Where can I learn it?"

"Oh, I believe we have the book around here somewhere," her mom waved a hand vaguely. "I didn't actually learn it, but I knew about it and I have a translation book. It's a dead language, you see, so it doesn't change or add new words, but you can translate most words from our language into the old one. That's what we did for you; your name means 'soothing aura.'"

"Cool..." Merenwen breathed. Now she could give Eevee a name that had meaning, but sounded so much cooler than just the word itself! "I _have_ to do that for Eevee! Thanks Mom!" Merenwen raced off to search their shelves for the book.

It didn't take long to find it. Whereas Merenwen's shelves were crowded with so many books that an outsider could take minutes to find a specific one, her father and mother's bookshelf was full of only a few functional books, maps of Hoenn, information about Pokémon types, moves and evolutions, things like that. Among those, books such as the baby names stood out almost immediately, and Merenwen's trained eye located "The Edhelen to English Dictionary" in a few seconds. She grabbed it and raced to her room.

After glancing through the introduction briefly, Merenwen deduced that the book was just as her mother had said; it provided translations of most words from modern language. Because of the language's age and the fact that few spoke it anymore, words like "computer" were not included. This did not seem to be a problem at first, but after a quick look, Merenwen realized with a shock that "Pokémon" was also missing from the dictionary! Apparently, the people who spoke this language were unaware of these creatures living all around them. Well, Merenwen reflected, it was true that today new Pokémon were always being discovered in different regions, so it stood to reason that at one time, _no_ Pokémon were known. This threw a slight wrench in Merenwen's plans to simply translate "Eevee." Well, more than a slight wrench. This was more like a wrench, a sledgehammer and a crowbar all jamming up the works at once, forcing a complete reworking of the machinery. She supposed, on reflection, that simply using "Eevee" was somewhat pitifully obvious. Well then, the best solution was to find a description word best suited to Eevee, and use that instead. Like "soothing aura" (which Merenwen found to be a very weird thing to name a child, even if it was in a foreign language).

Merenwen thought long and hard. What was an Eevee's strong point? What did Eevees do best? What makes them special?

-.-.-.-.-

It was getting dark when Merenwen ran back to Professor Birch's lab, feeling like she was doing quite a lot of running that day. Professor Birch was about to close up and go home, but he relented against Merenwen's pleas that she wouldn't take long.

She dashed up to Eevee, who was too restless to sleep after wrestling with the name conundrum. It sat up eagerly and pricked its ears as Merenwen gasped out, "I've got it! Eevees are unique because of their multiple branched evolutions, so your name will be Lessien! It means 'evolve'!"

* * *

So, about the meaning of Merenwen's name: don't read too much into it. I actually translated a perfectly normal English name using a website for finding one's elf name (search for "elf name" on Google and it's the first result). However, for the story it made no sense for her parents to translate one name into another name. They would just name her the first name they chose. So I had to come up with some words that began and ended with the same letters as the name (because the translation is based on the first and last letter). That's the reason behind "soothing aura." Just don't think it will be some major metaphor or anything (maybe a minor metaphor XP).

This "foreign language" I mentioned is actually Tolkein's Elvish as used in "The Lord of the Rings," etc. I do not own it (but I will learn it!)


	4. Chapter 4

What? Three months since I updated, you say? I don't know what you're talking about.

But really, sorry for the wait. I write when I can and it took me a while to collect the bits and pieces, spellcheck it all and finally get it up here. But here it is! Please enjoy!

Thanks to Foxyjosh, Felix the Eeveetrainer and Delta Knight for reviews. I feel appreciated :)

Disclaimer: I'm not sure who owns Pokemon, but it's not me. Although, I'm in the market for an Eevee...

* * *

Chapter 4: The Journey Finally Begins!

Parting is such sweet sorrow, as Shakespeare' s Juliet said to her Romeo. Merenwen was currently feeling almost guilty that for her part, this parting was all sweet and not sorrowful at all. She guessed any sorrow was coming entirely from her mom, who had followed her all the way to the edge of town and stood waving a tearful farewell, comforted by one of Professor Birch's aides.

Merenwen was much too excited to be sad. Maybe, she thought, she would get homesick later, but for right now she was psyched about finally leaving on her adventure. She looked down at Lessien scampering playfully beside her. The little Eevee was just as excited to be starting their journey, maybe even more so. It ran all over the path, crashing though bushes and sniffing at trees. Merenwen laughed at its antics, but she couldn't help a slight feeling of sadness. What had Lessien's life been like before? How long had it been since it had seen sunlight?

Merenwen shook off these gloomy thoughts. This was a day for fun, not worries! As for the warning Professor Birch gave her just before she left...there was nothing she could do about that now.

Later in the day, Lessien had calmed down a bit and was walking beside Merenwen. The two were strolling casually, enjoying the day and watching the wild Pokémon going about their daily business. Merenwen had seen a pack of Poochyena and Mightyena, a few Zigzagoon, and another flock of Taillow winging by overhead, but she didn't feel like catching any. Professor Birch, after giving Merenwen her Pokédex, had explained that previous trainers had all but completed the Pokédex Project; a few Legendaries were the only ones left unrecorded. Therefore, Merenwen didn't need to try to catch 'em all, and she didn't want to. She had resolved to be selective in assembling her team. She would catch the best Pokémon and train the strongest team ever!

She was grinning to herself in this fantasy when she noticed the grass giving way to a wide dirt path ahead. A few small houses were just visible through the trees. "Lessien! That must be Oldale Town!" she cried, looking down at her companion...who wasn't there. "Lessien?" She looked around, figuring the curious fox had run off into the bushes again.

"Vee!" An urgent bark sounded from her right. Merenwen turned to see Lessien's face poke out of a bush, look at her pleadingly, and turn back. The trainer instantly followed her obviously worried Pokémon, pushing through the bush to see what the problem was.

Lessien stood nosing at a reddish-colored Pokémon lying on the ground. Merenwen ran over, already taking off her backpack to get at the medicines her mom had given her. She gently turned the Pokémon over to see a strange, foxlike face topped by a curly tuft of orange-brown fur. Its eyes were closed and its breath was shallow. She looked to Lessien. "What do you think's wrong with it?" The Eevee shook its head hopelessly. Merenwen bit her lip in frustration. She couldn't treat it if she didn't know what was wrong. "Well then," she quickly put her backpack back on and carefully picked up the injured Pokémon, "it's a good thing we're so close to town. We can take it to a Pokémon Center." She ran as quickly as she could without jostling the Pokémon nestled in her arms. Lessien scampered behind.

-.-.-.-.-

"Oh my! This Pokémon seems to have a case of poisoning," announced the Nurse Joy behind the counter as she took the injured Pokémon from Merenwen.

"Can you help it?" Merenwen asked anxiously.

"Oh yes," the nurse smiled reassuringly. "We can handle this easily. Don't worry about a thing," she hurried to the back rooms, followed by a Chansey.

"Well, I guess we just have to wait," Merenwen shrugged, looking at Lessien. The Eevee nodded, staring down the hall where Nurse Joy had disappeared. It still looked worried. "Don't worry," Merenwen bent down to pat Lessien's head. "Nurse Joy knows what she's doing. Why don't we have a seat and wait?"

"Vee." Lessien followed its trainer to a bench. Merenwen looked around, noting two kids comparing their Zigzagoon and one young woman holding a pink Pokémon that was purring contentedly. Merenwen took out her Pokédex to learn that the Pokémon was a Skitty, a Normal-type catlike Pokémon. Hmmm...cute, she thought. She tried searching for the foxlike Pokémon she had found, and found that it was Vulpix, a Fire-type.

The Pokémon Center doors slid open to usher in a harassed-looking lady. She clutched her prim, flower-laden hat to her silver curls as she trotted up to the counter, looking around for Nurse Joy. Merenwen, feeling somewhat responsible for Nurse Joy's absence, went over and asked if the lady needed help.

The lady cast a distracted, worried look her way. "It's my little Pokémon. She's gone missing again and I just wanted to let Nurse Joy know, in case anyone brings her in."

Merenwen's eyes widened. She was about to reply that she had found an injured Pokémon, when a door down the hallway opened and Nurse Joy emerged, carrying the healed Pokémon.

"Here you go! Your Vulpix is all better!" she smiled, holding the little red Pokémon out to Merenwen.

The trainer didn't get a chance to reply before the old lady cried out, "Shiori!" and snatched the startled fox from Nurse Joy. The Vulpix barked and squirmed to get away, but the woman held it tightly and began scolding and worrying about it at the same time. "Shiori, why do you keep running off like this? I'm so glad you're safe! I knew you'd get hurt one of these days and now I find you here! Oh, _Shiori_!"

Meanwhile Merenwen explained to a confused Nurse Joy that she had only found the Pokémon.

-.-.-.-.-

"Thank you _so_ much for finding my little Shiori."

"Oh, not at all. It was really Lessien who found her anyway," Merenwen replied. Lessien heard its name and barked happily from where it was playing with Shiori. The two foxlike Pokémon were running around the yard, having a great deal of fun.

I can't believe she calls this a _yard_, Merenwen thought to herself, looking at the old lady benignly sipping her tea. Miss Watson, as she had introduced herself, had promptly invited Merenwen over to her house as a sign of her gratitude. _House_, Merenwen mentally muttered. _Mansion_ was more like it. Miss Watson, it seemed, was rich. After retrieving Shiori, Miss Watson had taken Merenwen in her personal Rapidash-drawn carriage all the way to her "house," situated on a hill at the edge of town. The "yard" where their Pokémon played seemed like an acre of grass spreading out into the forest. Merenwen was a little overwhelmed and found herself trying to be overly polite and refined.

"It's quite distressing. This is the third time this month she's run off. I simply can't understand it," Miss Watson sighed. "I make sure all of her needs are taken care of. What am I doing wrong?"

"Pokémon can be very difficult to understand," Merenwen tried to make her feel better. "If your Vulpix is running away, it could mean she's bored and looking for adventure."

"Oh dear, do you think so?" the old lady fretted.

Merenwen nodded. "If you don't mind my asking, how often do you play with Shiori?"

Miss Watson put on a haughty look. "I don't have time for _playing_ at my age!"

Merenwen was surprised. Miss Watson seemed to notice, because she sighed and confessed, "To tell you the truth, I'm not all that fond of Pokémon." Merenwen's eyes widened as the lady continued. "You see, Shiori was a gift from a young relative of mine. I'm sure he meant well, but I am just not a Pokémon person. However, I just didn't have the heart to refuse, and now...well, you've seen what's happened. Everything seemed okay at first, but Shiori has been getting more and more restless," Miss Watson finished with a sigh. She and Merenwen cast sad looks over to where Shiori and Lessien wrestled playfully on the lawn, barking excitedly. "This is the happiest I've ever seen her," Miss Watson added wistfully.

I feel sorry for both of them, Merenwen thought. I wish I could help... "Hey, I know!" she exclaimed. "Why don't I stay in town for a few days? Shiori and Lessien can play all they want!" Already she could see that the situation would simply revert when Merenwen left, but that couldn't be helped; at least Shiori would have fun for a while longer.

Miss Watson looked hopeful, but then her face fell and she shook her head. "That's a wonderful idea, dear, but when you leave Shiori will just be as lonely as before."

Merenwen nodded, feeling silly for suggesting a clearly flawed plan. The two were again watching the Pokémon play when Miss Watson's face lit up again and she exclaimed, "Wait! What if you took Shiori with you?"

Merenwen stared. "Wha?"

"I know Shiori's just been bored stiff sitting around here with no friends. If she went with you, she could explore and have all the fun she wants!"

"Well, if you're sure it's okay..." Merenwen started to smile. A new Pokémon on her first day? And such a cute one! "But what about the relative who gave her to you?"

Miss Watson put a hand to her mouth and frowned, but she looked resolute. "It's about time I was honest with him," she sighed. "I'll send him a letter tomorrow. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Well then..." Merenwen grinned. "Okay! If Shiori's okay with it, I'd love to have her!"

-.-.-.-.-

"Farewell, dear!" Miss Watson called, giving a stately wave from her front door. "Take good care of Shiori!"

"I will! Thanks again!" Merenwen waved back, before turning back down the road. On her right, Lessien scampered with its usual boundless energy, and on her left, the brand-new member of their team, Shiori, trotted excitedly. "You guys ready for fun?" Merenwen grinned down at her two companions. The answer was a resounding bark as both Pokémon leaped happily in the air.

-.-.-.-.-

"You **lost** it?!"

The unfortunate Team Rocket Grunt cowered before his leader's fury. "Y-yes ma'am...it seems the, uh, the cargo hatch...well, somehow the Eevee's cage must have..."

The shadowy figure hissed. "I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand the amount of money and research that Eevee represents," the Team Rocket Admin spoke slowly, "but understand this: if you **don't** get that Pokémon back...let's just say I know where our next guinea pig is coming from. Get my drift?"

"Y-y-yes!"

"Oh good. Now get out there and **find that Eevee**!!"


	5. Chapter 5

Alright, it's the new and improved Chapter 5! I also went back and fixed some formatting issues in earlier chapters (and some blatant typos that I cannot believed I missed), so those have been replaced. Thank you everyone who reads this for your continuing patience. I'll try to update more frequently now (although school is frankly torture these days, and I really should be doing homework now and not updating fanfiction, but it is in the nature of an artist to suffer for her art!).

Disclaimer: Still no Pokemon of my own, but I've got some new Eeveelutions cooking up in my basement genetics lab (is anyone else extremely ticked off by the way they let 3rd gen go by without any new Eeveelutions?)

* * *

Chapter 5: Forecast Sunny with a Hint of Trouble!

"Shiori, use Ember! Lessien, dodge it!"

Bright orange flames streaked with yellow streamed from the young Vulpix's mouth, scorching the ground where Lessien had stood only a moment before.

"Good reflexes, Lessien! Alright, now Shiori will use Ember again, and Lessien, see how long you can hold it off with Sand-Attack, okay?"

"Vee!" "Vul!" The two Pokémon barked the affirmative, then took up position again.

It was a clear, sunny day, perfect for training. And that was just what Merenwen had in mind. The day after receiving Shiori from Ms. Watson, Merenwen and her two Pokémon had traveled north from Oldale Town and began training in the grassland of Route 103. They'd been at it for a few days now; Merenwen wanted to be sure she was familiar with each of her Pokémon's moves and how they worked. She had heard that the next city, Petalburg, had a gym, but she knew she wasn't remotely ready to challenge it yet. A few more Pokémon, a lot more training...

"Good! Now Shiori, I want you to practice shielding against Lessien's Sand-Attack with your Tail Whip..."

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hey, have you got a lock on that signal yet?" a bored Team Rocket Grunt complained, leaning with crossed arms against the side of the Team-Rocket-issue jeep.

"Shut up! I'd like to see _you_ pick out _one_ signal from the _dozens_ that are in the air _all the time_," shouted his exasperated partner from the back of the vehicle. "That Eevee could be anywhere within a nearly _500-mile radius_ since you of course have _no_ idea precisely where you dropped it, and I have to somehow _find_ that signal by pure _guesswork_-"

"All right, all right, _all right_ already! Don't bite my freakin' head off!" the other grumbled. "But the sooner we find it, the sooner we can save our necks from the boss's wrath."

"_We_?" Grunt #2 muttered, "_You're_ the one who lost it." But he knew that guilt was a fluid concept in Team Rocket. If they failed to retrieve this precious experiment, _both_ their heads would be on the metaphorical chopping block. He made some fine-tuning adjustments to the complex Team-Rocket-brand radio equipment before him, and suddenly a small red dot started flashing on the radar screen. "_Got it!_" he yelped, startling his companion into toppling sideways into the dirt.

"About time!" The man quickly recovered, dusting himself off and climbing into the driver's seat. "Where to?"

"A little ways outside Oldale Town. And don't you 'about time' me! I'd like to see _you_ manage to pick up so much as a _weather forecast_ with this stuff! This equipment is complex, delicate and requires professional handling to..."

"Yeah, yeah..." Grunt #1 hit the gas and the jeep roared off, drowning the continuing lecture from the back.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"All right! Good day of practicing, guys!" Merenwen said cheerfully to her Pokémon as they relaxed in one of the Pokémon Center's rooms.

Lessien barked happily back, but Shiori was hanging her head in dejection. Merenwen noticed and queried her companion as to the cause of her distress. The Vulpix shook its head, attempting a reassuringly happy bark, but Merenwen wasn't going to let it go. "Are you upset because you still couldn't use that attack called 'Energy Ball'?"

The little fox sighed and nodded, burrowing its nose into the covers and draping a paw over its face. Lessien shuffled closer to it and nosed it reassuringly.

"Don't worry. We're probably just not using it properly. Or maybe it's something that just takes time," Merenwen tried to reason it out. She'd seen the attack on her Pokédex, but so far Shiori had been unable to make it work. "Maybe it's hard because it's a Grass-type move and you're a Fire-type." Merenwen was quite curious about how a Vulpix came to have a Grass attack, and planned to ask the Professor as soon as she could. He hadn't been at his lab when she last called.

Shiori still looked depressed, so Merenwen changed the subject. "Tomorrow, let's move on. We'll take route 102 to Petalburg and train on the way there. Okay?"

Lessien barked over-enthusiastically, and Shiori managed a small yip. The trainer and her Pokémon settled down for the night...

...unaware that the next day would bring not just training, but a crash course in real Pokémon battling.

-.-.-.-.-

Another bright, sunny day in Hoenn. Yes, it was just the sort of day calculated to bring a smile to the face of the most depressed person, or perhaps Pokémon. And Shiori was indeed feeling a bit more chipper as she and Lessien frolicked in the grass.

Merenwen was likewise enjoying the day, hardly bothered at all by the dark, nagging worry that was Professor Birch's warning.

"Hey, don't go too far you two!" Merenwen called gently as the two fox Pokémon crashed energetically through bushes, scaring up little Poochyena and Zigzagoon. Shiori ran right around a curve in the path and out of sight. "Ack! Shiori, wait!"

Merenwen was scurrying along to catch up when she heard "Porygon, use Psybeam!" and a distinctly foxy-sounding yelp. "Shiori!"

Merenwen burst around the corner with Lessien by her side and saw Shiori lying on the ground with swirly eyes. Farther down the path stood a surprised-looking girl in glasses and an old-fashioned kimono.

"Shiori! Are you all right?" Merenwen gently lifted the stunned Pokémon, which shook itself and barked cheerfully. Merenwen smiled. "You always manage to get into some kind of trouble, don't you?"

"Oh dear." Merenwen looked up to see the girl nervously adjusting her glasses. A pink-and-blue Pokémon was bobbing in midair next to her head. "Is that your Pokémon? I'm terribly sorry, it just ran out and startled me and I reacted without thinking."

"That's all right, no harm done. Right Shiori?" "Vul!" the fox nodded and bounced out of Merenwen's arms, showing that it was fine.

"Oh good." The girl smiled. "My name's Yuina, and this is my Porygon Hexa."

"I'm Merenwen. You've met my Vulpix, Shiori, and this is Lessien, my Eevee." she gestured to her Pokémon and they barked hello. Hexa swooped down and hovered over Lessien, who batted at it playfully. The two began running in circles. Their trainers laughed and smiled at each other. Merenwen was especially happy; she'd made her first new friend!

-.-_Some time later_-.-

"So you're here looking for a Ralts to add to your team?"

Yuina nodded. "I'm from Kanto originally. I've been through Johto and I challenged some gyms there, and when I get some more Pokémon here I'm going to go back and take the Kanto challenge."

"Cool!" Merenwen said. The two were sitting in a field of long grass, idly chatting, while their Pokémon messed around trying to climb nearby trees. "I'm just starting out as a trainer. Shiori and Lessien are my only Pokémon so far. We're definitely not ready to challenge any gyms."

"No rush," Yuina shrugged. "It's always best to make sure you've got a strategy in mind before you challenge any gym, no matter how many Pokémon you have, and that can take time to practice."

Merenwen blinked. "You think it's best to come up with a strategy beforehand?"

"Of course!" Yuina looked surprised. "You should at least know what type of trainer the Gym Leader is. All of them have their specialties, you know."

"I knew that," Merenwen agreed. "I just thought it might be more fun to just wing it, you know? Just go in and take what comes. I think I'm better at thinking on the spot."

"But then how can you choose the best Pokémon to use?"

Merenwen gazed over to where their Pokémon played. She watched Lessien run around gleefully on a branch, while Shiori fell off another and tumbled into a bush. "I want to do the best I can with the Pokémon I have."

Yuina also looked at the Pokémon for a moment; then she smiled, nudging her glasses. "I think that's a nice goal."

The two were distracted then by a high-pitched keening. Lessien, having managed to attain a nice, lofty perch in the young oak tree, now found itself trapped high above the ground (high for a little fox, anyway) and was wailing in fear.

Merenwen sighed, smiling wryly. "It seems both my Pokémon attract trouble." She got up, calling out to soothe the panicked Pokémon. "It's all right, Lessien, I'm coming. I'll help you get down, okay?"

The Eevee stopped crying and looked at her with watery eyes. "Veee..." it sniffed.

But the universe provided a faster way for Lessien to get down.

Out of nowhere, a giant mechanical claw shot out and swiped the Pokémon off the branch. The Eevee squealed frantically as it was lifted in the air.

"LESSIEN!!" Merenwen shouted, starting to run. Yuina also leapt up and ran to help, Hexa swooping down to meet her. Shiori disentangled itself from the bush and stared in confusion at the long, snaky mechanical arm protruding from the dense trees nearby.

Merenwen glared at the machine. "Shiori, use Ember on that thing!" The fire fox immediately complied with a burst of flames to the jointed arm. The metal heated red, but cooled once the attack stopped, seemingly unaffected. Merenwen turned her glare at the unknown source of the claw, hidden beyond the trees. "Who's there?! Get out here right now!"

The bushes rustled, a couple of young trees were brutally knocked aside, and a strange silver device on four wheels rolled into view. It was a rounded cylinder on its side, rather like a vacuum cleaner and about four feet in diameter, with the mechanical arm protruding from a hatch on its side. Behind it stood two shadowy figures.

Merenwen felt a cold chill. "Who are you? What do you want?" she snapped, although she had a sinking feeling that she already knew. Could Professor Birch's warning be coming true so soon?

* * *

DUN. DUN. DUUUUUNNN.

Goodness, after an ending like that, I'd better get the next chapter out lickety-split. Ganbarimasu! (I'll do my best!)


	6. Chapter 6

Wow, again I took nearly three months to update. Is this becoming a habit? I'll have to work on that.

Thanks to all my reviewers and favoriters! It may not seem like it, but I really do try harder to update when I get positive reviews. Ditto plushies for you all!! The special thing about Ditto plushies is, they can turn into a plushy of any Pokemon you want! :)

I feel this chapter ends in an odd place, because I was just writing and going with the flow and the chapter starting getting kind of long, so I cut it. I felt it was better to get an update out there, especially since I would have to divide this up into two chapters anyway because of the length. So the next chapter is in progress, and hopefully it will come out faster this time!

Disclaimer: Pokemon is not owned by me, or the anime would be more like the manga.

* * *

Chapter 6: An Explosive Battle!

_Recap: Lessien has just been grabbed by a mysterious mechanical claw. Two figures hiding in the shadows of the trees seem to be responsible! What will happen to our heroes?_

The machine's arm suddenly retracted, sending Lessien hurling down with a wail. A hatch popped open and the struggling Eevee was dumped unceremoniously inside. Merenwen ran, chasing the arm, but by the time she reached the machine its hatches had snapped shut. She kicked it violently, and then turned, limping, to glare at the still-shadowed figures. "Let Lessien go!"

"Aw, how cute, she gave it a name," one sneered.

"It's no use giving us orders, little girl," the other said sternly. "We have a job to do, and we're going to do it. Because we are..." White boots stepped into the light. Black clothes swished. Gloved hands poised confidently on hips. The two stepped out of the shadow of the trees. "Team Rocket!" the first Grunt proclaimed proudly.

Merenwen's eyes widened and narrowed in such quick succession that she almost seemed to have a twitch. "_Team Rocket_," she hissed.

_-.-Flashback-.- "Merenwen, there's one thing you should know before you go training with Lessien."_

_Merenwen turned in her seat. In front of her, Lessien slept on a blanket on a table. "What is it?"_

_"We examined Lessien thoroughly, and it seems to be fine health-wise. However, we picked up something odd in our X-rays," Professor Birch paused, reluctant to deliver the news._

_"What?" Merenwen asked nervously._

_"There's something in Lessien's ear, some kind of microchip. We think it may be a transmitter."_

_Merenwen felt a chill. "You can't remove it?"_

_The professor shook his head slowly. "It's too close to a major blood vessel. It must have been implanted when Lessien was younger, and then grew in place. But if it is a transmitter, it's probably giving out a signal that will allow Team Rocket to track Lessien. You may run into them sometime during your travels, so be careful."_

_Merenwen nodded, gazing at the little fox Pokémon sleeping soundly. Her fists clenched. She wasn't going to let Team Rocket hurt Lessien again. -.-/Flashback-.-_

Team Rocket Grunt #1 smirked. "We'll be going now, ladies."

Grunt #2 pushed some buttons on a remote control, and the machine started to roll backwards. Over the whirring of the engine Merenwen could hear Lessien mewling.

She gritted her teeth. "Let's go, Shiori!" "Vul!" With the fox at her side, Merenwen ran at the Rockets.

"I don't think so! Go, Kingler!" Grunt #1 yelled, throwing his Pokéball in their path.

Merenwen didn't even pause as the crab Pokémon materialized before them. "Shiori, use Roar!" she directed, dodging around the Kingler and heading for the Grunt with the remote.

The larger Pokémon cringed as Shiori growled fiercely, and Merenwen dashed at the Grunt, lunging for the remote. He yelled and held it up out of her reach, so she kicked him in the shin. He shrieked.

"Hey, a little help would be nice!" he yelled to his companion.

"Kingler, use - hey! What are you doing, brat?!"

Merenwen and the Grunt looked around. The machine was floating in the air, surrounded by a purplish glow. At the edge of the grass stood Yuina, with an Alakazam poised for attack. She smiled and gave Merenwen a thumbs-up.

Merenwen smiled back, and quickly snatched the remote from the Grunt. He shouted and tried to snatch it back, but Merenwen elbowed him in the stomach and scrambled away from his flailing arms. She ran past the Kingler, which was engaged in a glaring contest with Shiori, in the absence of commands from its trainer, who was yelling at Yuina. Merenwen made it safely through the confusion and stood next to the Psychic trainer. "Thanks, Yuina," she said gratefully.

Yuina nodded, and then, firmly adjusting her glasses, said, "Now, Kaz, use Disable!"

Her Alakazam complied, raising its spoons. The machine became surrounded in a blue glow and visibly strained at the edges. The metal began to creak and stretch.

"Oh no you don't! Kingler, use Metal Claw!" Grunt #1 shouted. The Pokémon clicked its huge claw and charged.

"Shiori, use Tail Whip!" Merenwen shouted desperately. She knew she and Shiori were hopelessly outmatched, but she had to keep them off Yuina while she got Lessien out.

Shiori charged bravely, aiming her attack at the stronger Pokémon's eyes to try to at least distract it, but it easily smacked the fox aside with its claw.

"Hexa, use Psybeam!" Porygon fired a shimmering beam, but the Kingler scuttled around, avoiding the attack. Alakazam concentrated, the machine bent and cracked, and finally it suddenly exploded just as the crab Pokémon attacked, locking its claw around Alakazam.

"Kaz!" Yuina cried.

"Lessien!" Merenwen yelled, running forward again. Mangled shards of metal, some burning with oily flames, flew through the air, and Merenwen ducked and weaved, focusing on the limp ball of brown fur visible falling through the dissipating fireball. She dove, arms outstretched, and twisted sideways as she caught Lessien, protecting it from the fall. Her arm scraped painfully on the ground; she was reminded strongly of her first meeting with Lessien, the scrapes of which had not quite healed yet.

"Lessien..." she gasped, sitting up with difficulty and checking on her Pokémon. The fox was unconscious, fur slightly singed, breathing hard and twitching in its sleep. It seemed to be having a nightmare.

"Why you little brats!" Grunt #2 growled. "Kingler, get that Eevee!"

Kingler released Alakazam and leapt away, racing at a frightening speed toward Merenwen. It was brought up short, however, by a quick Psychic attack from Alakazam.

"You're not getting away with that again!" the second Grunt shouted. He threw a Pokéball, releasing a Wheezing onto the scene. "Wheezing, use Smog!" The gaseous Pokémon breathed a cloud of poisonous smoke over the field, forcing Alakazam to retreat. Psychic lost its power and Kingler managed to break free. It resumed its attack.

Merenwen tried to stand, wincing, but stopped in shock when Shiori jumped in front of her. The little fox faced down the swiftly approaching crab, tensed for a fight.

"Shiori, you can't! Run away! You can't stop it!" Merewen gasped, but her Pokémon didn't move. Merenwen struggled to her knees and leaned forward, intending to grab Shiori and throw them both out of the way, but paused when she saw the glow starting at Shiori's mouth.

There was no time to think. The Kingler was nearly on them. Merenwen cradled Lessien protectively; she wouldn't let Team Rocket have it under any circumstances!

Kingler swung its giant claw. Just as it reached Shiori, the fox fired a giant black, green-glowing ball that had been slowly building during Kingler's charge. The attack hit the crab straight between the eyes a split second after Shiori was knocked aside by its claw.

"Shiori!" Merenwen scrambled after her fallen Pokémon, while the Team Rocket Grunt stared in shock at his KO'ed Kingler.

Yuina chose this moment to finish Wheezing off with her Porygon's Psybeam, and Team Rocket suddenly found itself without Pokémon. The Grunts glanced at each other nervously.

"You should give up now," Yuina advised, adjusting her glasses at them.

Grunt #2 gritted his teeth. "Brats," he hissed. "You won't get away with this! We'll have revenge!" He suddenly grabbed something from his belt and threw it to the ground. A cloud of smoke poured over the field. Through closed eyes, Merenwen faintly saw two flashes of light and heard someone running. An engine roared nearby; then the only sound was coughing.

The smoke thinned; Merenwen wiped her streaming eyes and looked around. The Grunts and their Pokémon were gone. Yuina was recovering from a coughing fit, clutching her glasses to prevent them from falling off. Her Porygon danced around her head anxiously, seemingly unaffected. Merenwen checked her own Pokémon. Shiori coughed once, smiled up at its trainer as if to say 'That wasn't so hard,' and then lapsed into unconsciousness. Merenwen stroked its head worriedly, but it seemed to have just fainted. Lessien was of more pressing concern. It seemed to have avoided the ill effects of the smoke, but its nightmare was worse; it was mewling and its left ear twitched violently. Merenwen gently put both Pokémon into their Pokéballs, then stood up to join Yuina. They needed to get to a Pokémon Center quickly.

She stopped when she heard a weak groan. Turning, she gasped at the sight of a Pokémon lying at the edge of the burnt grass with a large piece of metal weighing it down. She ran over and quickly lifted the metal away, wincing slightly when the hot metal singed her fingers. "Yuina! There's an injured wild Pokémon over here!"

The Psychic trainer ran over to see. Merenwen gently lifted the Pokémon into her arms, and Yuina gasped when she saw it. "That's a Ralts!"

"I think it's burned! Which Pokémon Center is closest from here?" she looked around worriedly. They'd gone a long way along the trail, but how far?

"I'll check." Yuina whipped out her Pokénav while Merenwen rummaged in her bag for some Burn Heal. She gave the Ralt's wounds basic treatment while the other girl checked their location. "It looks like Oldale Town is still closer...a bit."

"Okay." Merenwen got up, holding the Ralts carefully. "Which way?"

"This is too urgent. We can't take the time to walk," Yuina's glasses flashed. "Kaz! Use Teleport to Oldale Town!"

The Alakazam held up its spoons, and the scenery seemed to flicker around Merenwen's eyes. She suddenly found herself just outside the Pokémon Center in Oldale Town, with Yuina nearby looking nonchalant. _A useful move_, Merenwen thought, wasting no time in getting all her Pokémon safely inside.

Ralts and Shiori were quickly handed over and taken by Chansey assistants with little explanation; burns and fainting were quite common. Lessien, however, was something of a puzzlement for Nurse Joy.

"In terms of actual wounds, it's only slightly singed and bruised, but it definitely appears to be having a nightmare," the pink-haired medical expert said as she carried Lessien to an emergency ward, followed by an anxious Merenwen. "We'll treat it for its injuries and give it something to help it sleep. Don't worry," she added kindly, "your Pokémon is in no danger. We'll have it better in no time." And with those words the operating room doors closed.

* * *

All right! My first Pokemon battle scene! Lessien had a close call there, but luckily Merenwen's good in a crisis.


	7. Chapter 7

Doggone it, it took about three months to update _again!_ Maybe that's just how fast I work. Uh, but don't hold me to that. ;)

So here, finally, is the long-awaited next chapter! Is Lessien going to be okay?

Thanks to WildCroconaw and Teraunce for reviewing! Especial thanks to my loyal reviewers Foxyjosh and Felix the Eeveetrainer! I love having my work acknowledged. Tasty Pokeblocks for you all!

These next few months are going to be hectic for me, but I'll try to keep working on this whenever I can.

* * *

Chapter 7: Eevee Dreams and Troubling Things

_Recap: Merenwen and Yuina are waiting in Oldale's Pokémon Center after a fierce battle with Team Rocket! Most of their Pokémon seem fine, but why won't Lessien wake up?!_

Merenwen fretted in the Pokémon Center waiting room, alternately sitting edgily in a chair, checking the PC to see if Professor Birch was in his lab yet, and pacing around nervously upon finding he wasn't. Yuina watched her and eventually made her sit and told her to calm down. "Stressing out won't help your Pokémon," she said sternly.

"I know," Merenwen said, wringing her hands. "I just need to talk to Professor Birch. Team Rocket found us already..."

"Already? Why is Team Rocket looking for you?"

Merenwen started, realizing she hadn't had time to tell her new friend the whole story. She calmed down long enough to relate how she came across Lessien and Professor Birch's analysis of the Eevee's condition.

"...so I knew they would find us some time. I just hoped it would be when we were stronger," she finished worriedly.

"That Team Rocket!" Yuina scowled. "They've been operating much too openly lately! I thought they disbanded years ago."

Merenwen shrugged. "Well, I heard their boss never was captured."

The two sat in silence for a while, until Merenwen's antsyness got the better of her. "I'm going to go check on the Pokémon," she said, leaving Yuina to wait.

She found Shiori and the Ralts resting together in a room full of medical equipment. They were chatting, despite the Chansey nurse's efforts to get them to quiet down and rest. The two seemed fine; Shiori had a small patch on its side, and the Ralts' arm was wrapped in bandages, but they were otherwise healthy. Merenwen sat down near them and was soon praising Shiori's efforts in the battle. "I think that last attack you used was Energy Ball. You finally managed it!" Shiori barked cheerfully and ran around on its table in happy circles. The Ralts watched their conversation shyly. "And Ralts," Merenwen addressed it, causing it to jump and fidget nervously. "I'm sorry you got injured. We didn't mean to involve you in our fight."

"R-ra, ra ralts!" it stuttered, waving its arms as if trying to say 'don't worry about it!' It winced when it stretched its bad arm too far.

"Does your arm still hurt?" Merenwen asked concernedly, taking its arm and gently putting her hand over the bandage. The Ralts blushed, looking embarrassed.

"Merenwen!" Yuina rushed into the room. "You were trying to get Professor Birch on the phone, right? He's back in his lab now and he got your message! He's on now!"

"What!" Merenwen yelped, startling both Pokémon and earning a glare from the Chansey. "Thanks, I'll be right there! You two take it easy!" she directed this last bit at the injured Pokémon as she raced from the room.

She flew to the PC. "Professor Birch!"

"Merenwen, whatever is the matter? Your messages seemed very urgent."

"We were attacked by Team Rocket!" she told him immediately.

The professor's normally smiling face grew serious. "So soon? Oh my...are you all right?"

"Yes. Yuina helped me out," Merenwen gestured to her friend, now giving her own Pokémon to a Chansey.

"I see. That's very lucky, then. I was going to tell you next time you called that it might be a good idea for you to find a more experienced Trainer with whom to travel until you're strong enough to withstand Team Rocket's attacks on your own."

"Someone to travel with?" Merenwen had heard of Trainers traveling in groups, but she hadn't really considered it before. Given her situation, though, it would definitely be a good idea. "Hmm...that would be good, I'll have to ask her. Yuina's really strong! You should've seen how she handled Team Rocket..." She proceeded to tell the professor the details of the battle and the close call with Lessien's kidnapping.

"...and oh yeah! At the end, Shiori, my Vulpix that I got from this nice old lady a while ago, used a Grass-type move. But Vulpix are Fire-types. Do you know how it might be possible for it to use a Grass-type move, Professor?"

"Ah, well," the professor said, startled by the sudden question, "generally speaking, there are Technical Machines that can be used to teach Pokémon moves...I'm not an expert in that area, but it may be that your Vulpix's previous owner taught it a Grass-type move that it wouldn't have ordinarily learned."

Merenwen considered Miss Watson's level of involvement with her Pokémon, and shook her head. "I doubt she would have taken the time to teach it any moves..."

The Professor considered. "Well, I suppose it could always be an Egg Move."

"Egg Move?" Merenwen repeated.

"When a male and female Pokémon breed, if the male has certain moves, the offspring may know them automatically. That is, they are born knowing the move. For some Pokémon, that's the only way for them to learn a given move."

"Huh," Merenwen said.

"But back to Team Rocket. So in the end they ran off?"

"Yeah, but they said they'd be back," Merenwen fretted.

"I've no doubt they will be," Professor Birch said grimly. "Just keep your eyes open, stay around other people whenever possible, and maybe eventually they'll get tired of chasing you."

"Okay..." Merenwen sighed. She didn't like the idea of just running, maybe for her whole life. Wasn't there something she could _do _to get them off her tail?

"Ack!"

Merenwen looked up to see a disturbance on the screen. A large purple Pokémon with big round ears was stomping around and making a racket. "Professor Birch, what's wrong?"

"Oh, a Trainer sent - whoa! - their Loudred here, and - nono don't throw that - I think it's a little - no, not that it's very delica-aagh! - upset!" he finished. "Merenwen, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to go - _no don't use Uproar - _" The screen went suddenly blank.

Merenwen stared at the PC in bemusement for a while, then turned her mind back to the problem at hand. She looked around for Yuina, and spotting her waiting on a couch, walked over. She walked slowly, thinking carefully about what she wanted to say. She didn't want Yuina to feel obliged to go with her, and she didn't want to seem like a weakling in need of protection, but she knew that she could really use the help of a more experienced trainer, and she would appreciate it. She just had to find the right words to explain.

Yuina looked up as she approached and smiled, putting away the magazine she'd been reading. Merenwen smiled back. She sat down next to Yuina and took a deep breath, deciding to just go for it. "Say, Yuina, we - "

"I've been thinking," Yuina cut her off. "If those Team Rockets are after you, you're going to need help. I mean, I sure wouldn't want to be facing those guys all on my own," Yuina smiled at her. "So, what do you say? Would you like to travel together?"

Merenwen stared at her for a second, and then her face broke into a smile. "I'd love to." She couldn't express how grateful she was that this relative stranger would take time out of her own journey to help her.

Yuina glanced at her watch. "It's getting late. Why don't we ask Nurse Joy for a room? We can continue our journey tomorrow when our Pokémon are well rested."

Merenwen grinned. "Okay!"

Later that night the two were getting ready for bed when Merenwen thought of something. "Hey, maybe that Ralts we helped will want to travel with us! So you'll have found the Pokémon you were looking for!"

Yuina smiled. "That would be nice." She removed her glasses and lay down. "Goodnight, Merenwen."

"G'night," Merenwen replied. She lay in bed for a long time, thinking about their close call today. _I have to protect Lessien better. We'll train even more seriously from now on_, she vowed.

Eventually her thoughts wound down, and the exhausted young Trainer dropped off to sleep.

-.-.-.-.-

_Cold. A cold table. I can feel it through my fur._

_Light. Too bright! It hurts my eyes._

_Voices. I can't move. Something holding me down. The voices are closer._

_Light. It flashes. What is that? What is he holding?_

_I squirm. I have to get away. It's going to hurt. No. Go away! No!_

In the Pokémon Center observation room, Lessien twitched and mewled in its sleep, making small, pawing movements. The night-shift Chansey glanced worriedly it, then looked back at the screen and shook its head. Nothing appeared to be wrong with the little fox, but for some reason it just wouldn't wake up.

Merenwen awoke suddenly in the middle of the night, breathing hard. At first she didn't know where she was, but as she looked around and recognized the Pokémon Center room, she slowly began to calm down. She raised her hand to her head, frowning. _Was I just...in a lab of some kind? Was that a dream? _She shook her head, trying to clear the confusing thoughts. _It felt like...I was tied down to a lab table... _She couldn't think of any explanation for the odd feelings and...memories? floating around her mind. After a moment she lay down again, and quickly fell asleep. When she woke up the next morning, she had no recollection of the strange dream.

* * *

Dun dun dunnn!

Oops, we didn't actually find out if Lessien's going to be okay. ^_^' I promise you'll know next chapter. Also next, the Rocket grunts get in trouble for failing! You could almost feel sorry for them..._not._


End file.
